A winner right out of the gate.



Needed only minor intonation adjustment and some lubrication of the bridge rollers. Action was fine right out of the box. I like these pickups a lot for the style of the project I'm working on (country blues) and the overall sound of the instrument suits a wide variety of genres, depending on the amp and pedal set-up. I've never owned a semi-hollow before and now I know what I've been missing. Good one, Mike!

Bill in BC

I like my tuxedo. It definitely has personality. Looks, sounds, and plays great. I was expecting the neck to be a little fatter. For most players this isn't a thing, but I am originally a bassist and have huge hands. The smaller scale makes the fingerboard narrow. Different than my expectations, but that is the description's fault not the guitar. Fine instrument, and P-90's are bitchin. Different than my Strat, Asat special, Telsco, and Gretschs. A lot less play in the Bigsby than a Gretsch and strings are really close together. I wish the neck were more like a fifties Les Paul or an Esquire tele, but it is what it is. Nice touches like inlay and roller bridge. Over-all, after I put real strings on it, I was pleased. It just barely missed being my ultimate dream guitar. Oh well, still really nice.

Hi...i'm back. So I have been playing this guitar long enough for the novelty to wear off. BUT...it just gets better. First the fat neck now has a zero effect on the speed of my playing...and I can shred with the best.

...and here is why I think that happens.

The really cool thing I have discovered since I also play a Strat...a LP ...and a Dano like Silvertone... is that with the H44 when you reach up or down the neck the body never moves. You may not notice it but on most guitars if you are near the heel or nut end of the neck it is likely you shift the whole guitar slightly to reach and position the instrument to play in those areas. The H44 neck is anchored 6 frets into an already small body. In short it is anchored in one spot all night. Wow...talk about increasing you accuracy and speed when moving around that neck. awsome.

Now when I switch to the other guitars I find this shifting really annoying!!

So to you guys just toying with the idea of getting an H44...

it's time to jump in and just get one.

Read my post on the Eastwood/airline Blog

I have turned the guitar into an LP.

I have made this guitar into an incomparable shredder. there is nothing this guitar can't do ...except one thing... it can't disappoint you.

I was very pleased with this one. I have a few Eastwood guitars and love them all so very much. The craftsmanship is on point. A couple small things I could gripe about but for the money I really can't say anything negative. And the people working at Eastwood customer service is the best as far as I'm concerned. Always willing to help. Above and beyond. The only thing I wish this guitar had is the vintage voice coil pick ups. I'm not a fan of he stock valcos. They sound great but are alil hot with hi pitch feedback when it comes to distortions and such. So I advise buying a set of the vintage voice coil pick ups. I have a pair and went to put the bridge pick up in and it did not have the clips for the wire harness like there early models. Wich makes it tuff for me since I don't like to splice wires. But that's just me. Still this guitar is worth the money and more. Plays like a dream and feels super unique. Thanks so much Eastwood!

I loved the original Tuxedo model, and this new RJ signature is a great variation on that design. I especially like the phase switch, it sounds like Peter Green! Cool shape too.

The guitar itself is just what I wanted - a resonator acoustic sound that is not overly loud, with a great variety of sounds available through the blended pickups. The slim-line body makes it comfortable to play, I love the color (blue) , the feel, the ergonomics, the slightly shorter scale, the low action.

Customer service has been exemplary via the online chat sessions.

It was shipped out the same day I ordered it.

All for a very reasonable price.

What's not to love?

The Airline Tuxedo is a very unique guitar. It has outstanding acccoustic properties for an electric guitar due to the solid wood back, sides and top and the fully hollow design. No F holes means great tolerance to feedback for a fully hollow guitar. The P-90 s are very nice and some will be tempted to experiment with other types of P-90s, but the stock pickups are really very nice for Blues, Classic Rock and Jazz. The pickups have a smokey , gritty flavor with excellent midrange. I enjoyed mine so much that I had an all acoustic version (no holes for pickup in body or any electronics) that I will eventually add floating pickups to. A very Cool Guitar !!

The Airline Tuxedo is a very unique guitar. It has outstanding acccoustic properties for an electric guitar due to the solid wood back, sides and top and the fully hollow design. No F holes means great tolerance to feedback for a fully hollow guitar. The P-90 s are very nice and some will be tempted to experiment with other types of P-90s, but the stock pickups are really very nice for Blues, Classic Rock and Jazz. The pickups have a smokey , gritty flavor with excellent midrange. I enjoyed mine so much that I had an all acoustic version (no holes for pickup in body or any electronics) that I will eventually add floating pickups to. A very Cool Guitar !!

When I saw that you were offering an updated H-78 model electric guitar, I just had to get one while I could. I simply love the guitar, it's tone, it's quality of finish, and the way it feels and plays! These comments are coming from a Stratocaster and Les Paul fan, so this was a different type of guitar purchase for me! I am so glad that I got the guitar while I could! I was afraid that if I did not get it when I did, I may not have had another opportunity. I particularly like the pickups on this guitar, and the way I can use the pickups in many different combinations, letting me make many different types of sounds, and now I can play music that sounds more like some of the original recordings. It really has a classic 1960's tone, and I really like the deep sunburst colors! One last thing - the bound fret board is very easy to play! Great job! It is so much like the original, but better!!!

Thanks

Chunky Monkey



Posted by Martin on 6th Jan 2016



I recently bought an Airline H44 DLX and can barely put it down to write this review. First up, the neck is one helluva chunk of wood - speed-freak-widdle-rockers stop reading now. I have always liked fat necks and this is the fattest off- the peg guitar I have played. It's just such a reassuring feeling, and doesn't adversely affect either single note runs or bar chords. The frets are finished to a high standard and the fretboard feels great.



The body is chambered for lightness and tone, and is also jolly small. This gives a great compact feel and really encourages wringing the best out of solos. As a child I always hated trying to reach over a huge dreadnought sized acoustic so its ironic that I have a great compact guitar now I'm a big boy. Mine is finished in a limited edition dazzling green (not sure of its official name) which is an acquired taste but I quite like it.



Tone-wise the two mini-humbuckers give a great range of sounds and respond well to the tone control. I have played many guitars over the years and have too often not bothered with the tone knob as it just sounded like placing a pillow over the amp. Combined with creative use of the selector switch (you might need to balance the pickup heights too as the front pickup is quite loud) you can nail a good range of tones. The bridge alone is bright but not brittle, and the front has more girth but is still well defined. They both respond well to overdrive pedals and clean up nicely. You can get rock tones (not my cup of tea) but I prefer meaty Jimmy Reed overdriven stylings. Loose the pedal and flutey jazz tones are there to be had too.



Overall I am chuffed to bits with the H44 (would quite like the earlier single pickup model too) and would heartily recommend it to anyone tired of the ubiquitous Fenders and Gibsons. Airlines are a great way to access the funky vibe of some great old designs without the hassle of (let's be honest) less-than-perfect original build quality, or make-it-up-as-we-go vintage prices. Get one, you know you want one.....

I wanted one when I first saw it about a year ago. very happy Santa dropped one off last week! The "Twin Tone" is yet another masterpiece from those good folks at Airline/Edgewood. It's every bit as beautiful as the pics and sounds GREAT! Frequently I replace the pickups on a "new" guitar; I would NEVER replace the double coil pickups on the Twin Tone. full bodied, powerful, and crisp and bright makes the Twin Tone sound as good as it looks! I am so glad I got it!!! THANKS for being so helpful when I called with questions.

I' m back

well I played my guitar until the weekend. I then took to my favourite luthier/mod guy.

I had both PU removed . I replaced the neck pickup with a Gold Foil...it was a drop in. I had a PAF put in the bridge position. All my guitars have one...even my Les Paul...LOL

I put a '58' Rickenbacker toaster top pickup cover over the PAF so hide it...and keep with the 50's ascetic.

I said good bye to the rosewood bridge...and replaced it with the 64 Fender Mustang...it is set up like a tune-o-matic.

but like all Fender bridges they look like a spin off of the 49 Telecaster. In short the bridge looks like it has always been there. The original had Harmony style cupcake cream coloured knobs and the toggle switch had a tele style top hat knob. So mine has them too.

So...how does it sound. well I did an A/B test with my Les Paul...the LP had a bit more bite...but the H44 is fatter sounding...more definition from each string no matter how much crunch....and get this...IT HAS A NOTICEABLY LONGER SUSTAIN. It is now my main guitar!

I am finishing up a the last few chapters I wrote about it for

out Eastwood friends. Perhaps they can get out to you.

It has chapter and verse and lotsa pics....explaining the whole deal...and giving you a heads up on the history of the original guitar and how it help make my decisions.

The damn guitar is a monster....the thing can shred better then my Les Paul and my Custom Shop strat!!!

To my friends to be reading this because you are pondering a purchase. JUST BUY ONE!!!

Not only will you love it...you can have some fun at your next gig blowing the mind of your musician friends.

Well done. Sturdy quality case with great looks. Perfect fit for my Airline guitar

Quality strap, well done. Great look, easy adjustment, strong colors

I recently put my hands on a pretty rare Twin Tone model, with a sunburst and a Bigsby vibrato. What a treat! I have always been looking for the perfect, impossible blend between a Telecaster and a Les Paul. Impossible, as I said. This Twin Tone of mine does not make it possible but it gets as close to perfection as it can. Smooth neck, very well built and finished instrument, with a marvellous sunburst finish. What about those two pickups? Well, the bridge one is a real blend of a Les Paul bridge humbucker and the classic Tele sound: clean, crunchy and piercing. But what really does the trick is the neck humbucker, which almost totally overcomes all challenges. I kid you not: this guitar knocked me down and it is worth five times as much its interesting price. The killer looks lured me into buying it but it truely sounds amazing. And it makes me look supercool on the stage too. Not a bad bonus...

bought a supro twin tone in 69 airline brought it back thank you

I can tell just by looking at it 'this will become a much sought after guitar!

Hi



....so it not only lived up to my expectations but past them....

I have a Fender Custom Shop Strat and a Les Paul Special.....both needed to be set up ....and both needed to have a few their fret ends filed before they were playable. My Airline came with really low action and was ready to play right out of the box!

The quality of the workmanship is easily equal to Fender and Gibson.



I always tweek my guitars and have work done to change things that are not perfect for me.

I did not care for the tone I heard in the videos....that said the

neck pickup sounds good even for me.



I will take off the floating acoustic style bridge and installed a Fender Mustang ....the height is right...the one I have ordered is an after market improved jobbie

It looks very much the same ....but ...it has all the adjustment of a tune-o-matic. ....and because it is meant to attach to a whammy....it should attach to the H44's trapeze tailpiece perfectly.

Best of all... since Fender bridges are basically folded sheet metal with nickel or chrome plating...it should look early 50's and not spoil the retro look of the guitar.



....In am going to swap out the bridge pickup for a Harmony style Gold Foil....it should be a drop in.

The guitar that Harmony replaced this with in 58...has this style Gold Foil.

For the bridge pickup... it will be a Duncan...Pearly Gates PAF

just like my Les Paul. All my guitars have a PAF....but they each have something different in the bridge....a Strat...Soapbar....Lipstick Tube and now a Gold Foil.



Nothing beats a PAF for a solo....but for accompanying singers a wide variety of sounds is really refreshing.



I will cap the PAF with a 'toaster' style chrome cover....the original 1954...2 pickup H44 (actually called an H88) had 2 Hershey bar pickups painted black with a chrome bar down the center....the black PAF pickup will show thru the slots of the toaster cover...and be divided by the chrome going down the center. The effect will be very similar.

I will finish up with a volume and tone knob that was on the original....two cream coloured 'cup cake' knobs...one labeled tone and the other volume. The tele switch will get a 'top hat'

style knob as well. I have one in black...white...and cream. The black one is correct...but the cream one would tie in better with the knobs. The tuners will not need replacing...they are smooth...and don't slip.....so don't let their humble appearance fool you...these are excellent.

That said the buttons are pearloid....what a nice touch. Everywhere I looked on the guitar shows an endless effort to pay attention to detail.



As for the fat neck....yup...the sucker is huge...very huge



I love to "shred"...and I can play triplets at break neck speed.

I tried it tonite for the first time....zero problem...the frets are a bit small too....but I did it all...bends ...trills pinched harmonics and once again ....no problem!

I figure in a week it will feel normal....all my guitars have different necks with different feels...they too took a week too.



Once I get the work done pretty sure this will be my main guitar.



I will send in pics when it is funished.



For young guys with a budget...there are a lot of choices out there.

Let me use this analogy....if 15 years ago you bought Mini Cooper car and looked after it....the 2015 model is identical....the car....like the H44 has cache...it was years ago and still is....but other cars if you bought them...have changed their body styles twice....so if you had one...your car is no longer cool...if it had the slightest bit of cache new...it no longer has any.

So ....if your final goal is to get a custom shop strat like I have. Fine. But if it takes you years you will always have a very cool guitar .What's more...I bet you keep your Airline as a second guitar....because you will never feel ashamed of walking on stage with it.

In short....an Airline is not a stepping stone...it's an investment.

So go for it!!!!

This guitar came out of the case with a perfect setup! The neck was straight and the action was low. This has to be the most beautiful guitar I have ever owned and it sounds fantastic! I really like all of the possible pickup combinations as well. If you buy this guitar you will NOT be sorry!

yes....the first Harmony H44 Stratotone came out in1952 and was metallic orange with a Hershey bar single coil pickup. No longer available. And I have spent hours online checking for this pickup.

1952 saw the arrival of the first Les Paul....both guitars had the same shape...single coil pickups and a trapeze tailpiece

and in 1953 fender brought out the Statocaster

Makes me think everyone was watching everyone...afraid not to get behind...who was influenced by who we will never know. But we know Harmony did not drag its feet when it came to innovation.



It was not long that the H88 Stratotone Doublet was introduced...the Airline H44 is a very good reissue of this guitar. Even the colours are right. They offered a green (teal)

metallic as well.

If you have or get the H44...you can make it even more accurate looking with a set of cupcake ..tone and volume knobs (Allparts has them) and change the switch knob to a Top Hat Tele style.

I ordered my H44 this morning...I also ordered the little mods so I can un-update it..lol

Eastwood is amazing ....they helped me sort out details I needed for some more extensive mods I will do when my guitar arrives....and this was before I even bought one

.

So if you want a totally cool pro guitar at an amateurs price

here it is. I have a Les Paul 59 Deluxe reissue...and a Fender

Custom Shop Strat....If I thought for a second that this guitar was not in the same league I would not have ordered it,

So...go for it!!!